One of my major interests
is the life and history of something called the ‘later Roman Empire’, but which
is more often known as the Byzantine Empire or Greek Empire to western
commentators. What fascinates me most is the fog of ignorance that surrounds
the whole subject, and this can be seen just by the number of names it has. The
Roman Empire did not suddenly disappear in the year 476 of the common era; this
is a simple fact, but one which few people seem to know anything about, or are
so obstinately set in their ways that they are not willing to admit it. Byzantium
is, essentially, the prejudiced term we use to refer to the Greek-centred eastern
half of the Roman Empire that remained more or less unharmed by the upheavals
of the 4th and 5th centuries, which held together under
an Imperial government in Constantinople, survived for a further millennium
after the fall of the empire in the west, and whose inhabitants continued to
call themselves Romans.
The eastern half of the empire held together adequately
despite the loss of its western half, and half a century after the so-called
Fall of Rome the emperor Justinian I enacted a series of wars to reconquer the
western provinces; reclaiming North Africa and much of Italy in the process.
Afterwards, religious divisions, the rise of Islam and the Arab invasions of
the 7th century, all served to lose the empire much of its
territory. Despite this, the remnant ‘Byzantine’ Roman Empire continued to survive
and prosper throughout the Mediaeval period, eventually playing a major role in
the Crusades. It would finally be destroyed by a combination of civil strife,
European crusaders, and the rise of the Ottoman Turkish empire in its place.
Not many people in the west know about this strange and
wonderful nation, and so it is not easy to find it in works of
fiction. Despite this, a handful of writers have attempted to explore this
relatively untouched time and place, and over the past couple of months I have been
acquainting myself with a selection of works I've managed to gather. Of the five I present here, I review them
in order of the time period in which they are set, so as to give something of a
beginner’s history of Byzantium (or the later Roman Empire) alongside.
The Blood of Alexandria by Richard Blake
Genre: Political Thriller
Length: Long
The third instalment to a
series of thrillers set in the early seventh century, when the conquests of the
emperor Justinian are crumbling in the face of the last great war with Persia,
just before the Arab conquests. This interesting choice of period for a
quasi-successful series of novels gives me hope, for it allows us a rare glimpse
of a world after the so-called fall of the West, and in the wake of Justinian when the empire was in many ways still
recognizably ‘Roman’, and I’m almost tempted to seek out some of the other
books in the series just for that. The main character is an Anglo-Saxon chap
called Aelric, from whose first-person narrative we get our fill of
foul-language, classism, racism, and frank commentary on the day-to-day events
of his life, as he tells us the story of his senior role in the administration
of the empire. While trying to push through some land-reforms in the province
of Egypt during the devastating war with Persia, Aelric gets swept up in all
sorts of conspiracies and theological disputes, while his old enemy, the
drug-snorting psychopathic general Priscus, shows up looking for the first
chamber-pot of Jesus Christ - a rather confusing plot which I had a hard job
trying to make sense of.
The characters are the major strength here. Aelric is a
compelling protagonist, even if a little unpleasant a one, and the other
members of the cast are all excellently presented and in clear possession of
their own distinct personalities, which even when you’re not quite keeping up
with the wider plot, at least they will keep you interested. The clear runaway
winner of ‘best-character’ goes to Priscus, a senior military commander in the
empire who is so wonderfully evil that he brightens up every scene he features
in. He can most accurately be described as a villain, just one who’s on the
same side as the hero, and who can help as much as hinder.
The book is quite good. If you like intrigue, sex and
violence, the occasional stomach-churning torture scene, and a glimpse into the
little-known world of late provincial Egypt, then I can vouch for this one. But
even so, the theological dispute of the era, which forms one of the numerous
plot-threads, is no easier to understand when seen through contemporary eyes
than it is when we read it in the driest history textbook.
Alchemy of Fire by
Gillian Bradshaw
Genre: Romance
Length: Average
While I'm normally put off by
the Romantic Fiction genre, this one very quickly won me over. This book is set
during the time of the later Heraclian dynasty of the seventh century, a dark
period in which incessant and terrible war with the Islamic armies of the Arab Caliphate
threatened to finally stamp out the empire for good. The southern and western
provinces had been lost for the final time, and the war has now reached the gates
of Constantinople itself.
The story concerns
a lady called Anna, a former imperial concubine who now runs a perfume shop in
the capital city with her daughter Theodosia. She meets a Syrian refugee who
has an idea for a new weapon with which to defend the city, an incendiary which
floats on water and which could prove lethal to the wooden fleets of the Arabs.
The alchemist, Kallinikos, begins to develop this new idea with Anna’s
begrudging help, but the interference of his aristocratic boss at the arsenal,
and the exposure of Theodosia’s secret royal heritage, begin to work against
Anna’s carefully constructed life.
The book is very good. The story is well managed, and the
Byzantine setting is used well. The scene of the races at the
Hippodrome and the subsequent traffic jam in the streets is particularly
memorable, and the transition between the humble lives of commoners to the
intrigue of the Imperial Palace is carried out excellently. In all fairness, I
cannot find a single genuine fault with it; the characters are good, the setting is
vivid and nicely presented, and the narrative is fluent and engaging. I
thoroughly recommend this book.
The Belt of Gold
by Cecelia Holland
Genre: Thriller
Length: Average
The year is now 802. The
Empire is ruled by the devious and powerful empress Irene, who is locked in a
long-term political duel against her rival, John Cerulis, a ruthless aristocrat who
wants the throne for himself. We follow the path of Theophano, one of the
Empress’ spies, who is attempting to track down an important list of names that
could undo John Cerulis’ plans. On the way she bumps into a man called Hagan, a
Frank from the west who finds himself sucked into the messy world of
Constantinople’s politics. Meanwhile, in the capital, two champion charioteers in
the Hippodrome are vying for the coveted prize, the Golden Belt, while a zealot
and former hermit is slowly making his way to the city, a religious revolution
in his wake.
If my brief premise there outlines anything, it’s that
there’s quite a lot going on in this book. Unlike Richard Blake’s Blood of Alexandria, though, it is
possible to actually keep up with what’s going on. Cecelia Holland is clearly a
good writer, and if you want a gritty novel with plenty of twists and turns,
then this is going to be right up your alley. There’s plenty of sex and
violence to keep everyone happy, and the characters are suitably developed and
all given their fair share of time.
It’s also good for explaining to the novice reader where
and when they are; the beginning of chapter three, just after we’ve entered the
city for the first time, briefly and beautifully sums up the complications of
Byzantine history in an accessible way, and sets up the character and past of
the empress Irene incredibly well. The first two chapters then are more of a
prologue, landing the reader in the plot purposefully away from the city, so
that characters can be established before we find ourselves in the much more
complicated world of the city. However, while Holland is not a bad writer, it does appear that she may not have made too thorough an effort to avoid historical innacuracy. For the character of Nicephoros, a man who in reality had a son and a daughter, no mention is made in the text of this fact, while the novel plays fast and loose with Irene's ultimate fate.
Aside from this, there is one major problem with the book. It ends far
too abruptly. It spends a great deal of time building up to an impressive
climax, involving the championship race at the Hippodrome, and the fight for
the throne which simultaneously takes place above it, and it’s all quite
impressive; but the fallout from that is not treated with as much care as the
rest of the plot has been. I knew what the actual results of the climax were
going to be, considering the fact that I already know quite a lot about Byzantine
history, so I was fully expecting Irene’s shock deposition by her treasurer
Nicephoros; but this sudden change from fretting and world-weary bureaucrat to
a man aspiring for the throne was not adequately handled by the writer – I was
left bewildered, despite the fact that of knowing roughly what was going to happen. The
character had been well-developed up to that point, but then at the end we are
let down – the change felt unnatural. And there ought to have been more of an epilogue
afterwards; we spent the entire novel finding out what was making these people
tick, and then we don’t get to see how they feel or what they think when
everything is said and done. There’s not enough closure, is what I’m saying. (And also the events which take place in the story are different, and less good, than that presented by the historical sources. A simple glace at the work of Theophanes the Confessor, the major chronicler for this period, would have provided Holland with a better ending)
In the end, The Belt of Gold
was quite good, but proved oddly disappointing.
The Lady for Ransom by
Alfred Duggan
Genre: Fictional Biography?
Length: Average
Through the 10th
century, the Empire went through a profound resurgence which saw it secure its
position as one of the wealthiest, most powerful, and most enlightened nations
in the world. It can generally be said to have peaked during the reign of Basil
II (976 – 1025), the so-called ‘Bulgar Slayer’, but for the rest of the 11th
century things entered a bit of a downward spiral. The Empire’s remaining
territories in southern Italy were overthrown by the invading Normans – a group
who were also conquering England during this period – and in the east a new
group of Islamic invaders had shown up; the Turks.
Alfred Duggan’s book is set during this precarious time,
and as a historical account it is absolutely superb. The story centres around a
group or Normans, led by a certain Roussel de Balliol and his wife Matilda, who
leave Italy to fight as a mercenary company for the Empire. The year is 1071,
and after being involved in the disastrous Battle of Manzikert, in which the
defeat of the emperor Romanus IV Diogenes by the Turks sees the virtual
crippling of the Empire, Roussel and Matilda spend the following years trying
to set up their own principality within the crumbling (Byzantine) Roman lands. Amongst
the trials they have to face, their main problems are the Turks who are now
running rife over the Anatolian territories, and the (Byzantine) Romans who
want their taxable domains back.
Historically, this one is the best by far. Duggan succeeds
in putting the reader on ground-level during one of the most crucial periods in
Byzantine history, and we simply have to sit back and watch the events as they
unfold. Genuine historical figures play leading roles – such as future emperor
Alexius Comnenus (Alexios Komnenos) – and the complexity of Byzantine ideology
and politics is explained with patience by a narrator, Roussel’s interpreter,
who is sympathetic to our lack of understanding of this place, but who does not
fall into the trap of dumbing it down. One of the most delicious examples is
when our narrator tells us, right at the beginning, that though the people of
this land are Greeks, they call themselves Romans, and that for simplicity sake
he will always refer to them as Romans. He is as good as his word; and as such
Duggan deals head-on with one of the most contentious issues of Byzantine
history – their self-identification as Romans.
The story and characters are not quite as good. Actually,
that’s a little bit harsh; I thought the story was quite good, taking the
reader though the fallout from Manzikert and charting the career of a mercenary
in the employ of the later Roman Empire, but it’s a little haphazard as far as
plots go – which may be necessary pitfall of mining a story from historical
events. The narrative style also, in taking the form of a personal account,
while having advantages of putting the reader in amongst the events and giving
the narrator a firm voice, unfortunately puts a slight barrier between us and
the world we are meant to be witnessing. Our narrator does not seem like a very
good story-teller, all things considered. This also results in the characters
feeling a bit two-dimensional sometimes, and the dialogue being rather forced,
and the ending of the story feels a bit too abrupt for my liking.
But these are only minor quibbles; Duggan is an excellent
writer, and his portrayal of the later Roman Empire is one of the most vivid
I’ve ever encountered. The characters, while a bit distant at times, are all
there in the ways it matters.
Anna of Byzantium by
Tracy Barrett
Genre: Young Adult
Length: Short
Anna Comnena (Komnene) is
certainly an interesting historical character. A daughter of Alexius I Comnenus
(1081 – 1118 – yes, the same one from Alfred Duggan’s book), who established
the dynasty that ruled the Empire at the end of the 11th and for
most of the 12th centuries, she is often cited as one of the world’s
first female historians. After being caught out during a palace conspiracy, she
was exiled to a convent where she spent the rest of her life – though she
devoted her efforts to writing a history of her father’s reign. It’s
interesting that Barrett thought her a good subject for Young Adult fiction. Not
that I disagree; I’m just saying she’s an interesting choice.
The story is about the childhood and teenage years of Anna,
as she spent her life and energies in the palace. Being the eldest child of the
emperor, not to mention the most capable, she is deemed the heir apparent – at
least, until the birth of her younger brother John (the future John II), who
threatens to take what she deems her rightful position as ruler of the empire.
As she is tutored by her manipulative and treacherous grandmother Anna Dalassena
in the art of court politics, the truth of her father’s rise to power – and how
he overthrew the previous Ducid dynasty (which was presented in Alfred Duggan’s
book), the family whom Anna Comnena’s mother belonged to – comes to light.
The strengths of the story can mainly be found in the venomous
relationship between the Comnenids and the old Ducas family, in the form of the
intense hatred between the grandmother Anna Dalassena and her daughter-in-law,
Anna’s mother. The central story, Anna Comnena’s obsession with gaining power,
and her inevitable failure to do so, holds the narrative together well enough.
Weaknesses involve the actual briefness of the story itself, which does not
really give enough time for any of the characters to properly develop –
although this is not too much of a major flaw, as the speed with which it can
be devoured is probably more of an advantage in the YA field – and, more
glaringly, the historical inaccuracies. Although she helpfully provides a brief
family tree of the dynasties and a map of the empire at the start of the book,
which will doubtless aid the novice in understanding the key relationships of
the story, in the text itself are a few critical flaws; namely, the events of
Anna’s life are accelerated in order to have the entire story take place in her
childhood and early teenage years. The character of Nicephorus Bryennius (whose
father, of the same name, played a fairly pivotal role in Duggan’s book), whom
the historical Anna Comnena actually married and lived with for many years, is
alas relegated to a fairly minor role in the plot. Also, the major events of
the reign of Alexius I, most notably the First Crusade and the Norman wars, are
also seriously downplayed, mainly taking the form of having Anna’s father
disappearing at certain points in the story. I can see why the author made
these decisions; to sacrifice a few dry historical facts in favour of a story
about a young girl in the corridors of power, but I find it a bit of a shame
she opted for this. Worse than this, the references to the empire as the
‘Byzantine Empire’ were an actual anachronism. They never called themselves
Byzantines – even by this stage, these people still maintained themselves as
the continuators of the Roman Empire.
In all fairness, while it was a relatively enjoyable story
and has strengths in regard to character and pacing, Anna Comnena is worthy of
a much better book than this.
Conclusion
It takes a bit of effort,
but one can find fictional works set during the time of the later (Byzantine)
Roman Empire. The selection here varies enormously in terms of period, genre,
character and writing style, yet it is still a little known subject due to the
fact that few people even know what it is all about.
If I had to pick a favourite from this small selection, I
would put my vote for Gillian Bradshaw’s Alchemy
of Fire, due to being an all-round decent and accessible novel. The story
is good, the characters vivid and appealing, and it’s good to see the lives of
people other than emperors being explored – although it must be admitted that
the Imperial Court does play a significant role in the story. Rather than
focusing on the great emperors of the day, Bradshaw instead tells us the
fictional tale of a perfumer in Constantinople, and of the humble Syrian
refugee who was responsible for creating one of the most advanced weapons of
the middle-ages, which would save the Empire from defeat many times over the
next millennium. However, for someone who wants to get deeper into the actual
history and society of the Empire, then I firmly recommend Alfred Duggan as my
second choice – though the story in his sadly is less enthralling, from the
reader’s point of view.
Finally, it must be said that anyone who wants to know more
about this rich and gorgeous subject, there are far worse things to do than
picking up Judith Herrin’s Byzantium,
which is an excellent and easily accessible opening into this little-known
world.
Bibliozantium
Barrett, Tracy. Anna of Byzantium. Dell Laurel-Leaf:
USA. (2000)
Blake, Richard. The Blood of Alexandria. Hodder and
Staughton. (2010)
Bradshaw, Gillian. Alchemy of Fire. Severn House: Bodmin.
(2004)
Duggan, Alfred. The Lady for Ransom. Peter Davies Ltd:
London. (1974 [First Published 1953])
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium – The Surprising Life of a
Medieval Empire. Penguin: St. Ives. (2008 [First Published 2007])
Holland, Cecelia. The Belt of Gold. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc:
USA. (1984)
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